Elizabeth Beard Greer?
'Back to the family page of James Beard and Mary Polly Selby ' As detailed on the previous page linked above, we believe there are other children of James Beard, both from a previous marriage and at least one other daughter from the marriage to Mary Selby. This belief comes from the family counts on the various early censuses. The descendants of Sarah Elizabeth Beard have in their possession some very old photographs that belonged to her. One pair of portraits have been very interesting to us in our study of Sallie Beard Faucett's family. The two pictures are of a man and woman, and they are captioned "R. Grayer" and "E. Grayer". During our research of James Beard's descendants, we have kept an eye out for anyone fitting these two individuals. The following family is detailed here as a possibility only; we have no proof of a relationship. Any additional information would be welcomed! In the 1860 census of Liberty, Independence County, Arkansas, the Richard B. Greer family lives in the midst of a page full of Ward families who are the families of the two James Beard daughters who married Wards. These would be sisters of Sarah Elizabeth Faucett of Panola County, Mississippi, some of whose children went to Independence County, Arkansas at this time. Here is the census enumeration of this Greer family: Richard B. Greer 63 yrs 500 600 Virginia Elizabeth Greer 59 Kentucky Patsey Greer 32 Tennessee Elizabeth J. Greer 29 Tennessee Margaret Greer 20 Tennessee Mary Lewis 9 Arkansas and nearby is listed their son Pulaski/Pulaska Greer. We found Richard B. Greer (appears also as Green) on the 1830 Henderson County, Tennessee census, a man of 30 to 40, a few names from a John Beard (40 to 50). This John Beard may be a son of James from his first marriage and hence a brother in law to Richard Greer. 1840 Henderson County, Tennessee Richard B. Greer 40-50--eldest female is 30-40. According to the later censuses, all their children were born in the state of Tennessee. Henderson County is very important because this is the same county where Samuel Beard (father of James, grandfather of Sarah Elizabeth) was enumerated in 1830, along with Mary Faucett (mother of John who married Sarah Elizabeth in the same Henderson County in 1830) and the Mary Beard household which we detailed on the previously cited page. Elizabeth Greer, born about 1801 in Kentucky, is exactly the right age to be a daughter of James Beard, and we believe a daughter of his first marriage, explaining the name Elizabeth being used by the first wife, and by the second wife as a middle name for Sarah Elizabeth. This possibility would go a long way explaining the pictures held by Sarah Elizabeth and labeled "Grayer". We found a cite in Tennessee records for individuals in the district of "Captain Richard Greer's Company" in Henderson County in 1827. On 29 September 1832, the sheriff of Henderson County sold a lot belonging to Samuel Wilson "whereon Andrew Greer lived". Another item of interest: "Richd Grier died before August term 1789 when his orphan Richd Grier made choice of William BEARD as guardian, Jeremiah Robinson, security, in Washington County, Tennessee court minutes, Bk 1, p 402. This would have to be a relative to our Richard Greer, not him, as our Richard was born about 1797. We believe that Richard b. 1797 in Virginia was the son of Andrew of Henderson County cite. There are early records of Andrew Greer granted land by the state of North Carolina (for Revolutionary War activities) in Carter County, Tennessee, Alexander Greer witness, 17 August 1787. This land was sold by Andrew Greer of Carter County to James Findley in 1804. Carter County was formerly a part of Washington County. From Henderson County, Richard and Elizabeth appear to have moved to Hickman County, Kentucky in time for the 1850 census there: R. B. Greer 52 Virginia E. Greer 43 Kentucky J. P? male 28 Tennessee Martha 20 Tennessee (went by her nickname of Patsey in 1860 listing) David 19 Tennessee E. Greer 14 Tennessee M. Greer 10 Tennessee (probably daughter Amanda/Manda) Francis 22 Virginia (this is the wife of Pulaski Greer and their dau in law--we believe the J. P. Greer is J. Pulaski Greer) M. Greer female Kentucky (probably daughter of Francis & Pulaski Greer, Amanda/Manda) We do not find any further records for Richard Greer and wife Elizabeth, but their son Pulaski Greer is listed in the 1870 census in Tywappety, Scott County, Missouri. The daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Greer, Margaret Greer, married the son of James Graham Beard and Charlotte Rayburn on 8 April 1869 in White County, Arkansas. James Graham Beard's parents were James Beard and Mary Selby. Circles upon circles!